2005 Edition

Administrative divisions

26 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district* (distrito federal); Acre, Alagoas, Amapa, Amazonas, Bahia, Ceara, Distrito Federal*, Espirito Santo, Goias, Maranhao, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Para, Paraiba, Parana, Pernambuco, Piaui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Rondonia, Roraima, Santa Catarina, Sao Paulo, Sergipe, Tocantins

Age structure

0-14 years: 26.1% (male 24,789,495/female 23,842,715) 15-64 years: 67.9% (male 62,669,392/female 63,719,631) 65 years and over: 6% (male 4,549,552/female 6,542,009) (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products

coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, citrus; beef

Airports

4,136 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

698 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 23 1,524 to 2,437 m: 158 914 to 1,523 m: 461 under 914 m: 49 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

3,438 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 78 914 to 1,523 m: 1,579 under 914 m: 1,780 (2004 est.)

Area

land

8,456,510 sq km

total

8,511,965 sq km

water

55,455 sq km note: includes Arquipelago de Fernando de Noronha, Atol das Rocas, Ilha da Trindade, Ilhas Martin Vaz, and Penedos de Sao Pedro e Sao Paulo

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than the US

Background

Following three centuries under the rule of Portugal, Brazil became an independent nation in 1822. By far the largest and most populous country in South America, Brazil overcame more than half a century of military intervention in the governance of the country when in 1985 the military regime peacefully ceded power to civilian rulers. Brazil continues to pursue industrial and agricultural growth and development of its interior. Exploiting vast natural resources and a large labor pool, it is today South America's leading economic power and a regional leader. Highly unequal income distribution remains a pressing problem. Geography Brazil

Birth rate

16.83 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$172.4 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004)

revenues

$140.6 billion

Capital

Brasilia

Climate

mostly tropical, but temperate in south

Coastline

7,491 km

Constitution

5 October 1988

Country name

conventional long form

Federative Republic of Brazil

conventional short form

Brazil

local long form

Republica Federativa do Brasil

local short form

Brasil

Currency (code)

real (BRL)

Currency code

BRL

Current account balance

$8 billion (2004 est.)

Death rate

6.15 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Debt - external

$219.8 billion (2004 est.)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador John DANILOVICH

consulate(s)

Recife

consulate(s) general

Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo

embassy

Avenida das Nacoes, Quadra 801, Lote 3, Distrito Federal Cep 70403-900, Brasilia

FAX

[55] (61) 225-9136

mailing address

Unit 3500, APO AA 34030

telephone

[55] (61) 312-7000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Roberto ABDENUR

consulate(s) general

Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco

FAX

[1] (202) 238-2827

telephone

[1] (202) 238-2700

Disputes - international

unruly region at convergence of Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay borders is locus of money laundering, smuggling, arms and illegal narcotics trafficking, and fundraising for extremist organizations; uncontested dispute with Uruguay over certain islands in the Quarai/Cuareim and Invernada boundary streams and the resulting tripoint with Argentina; in 2004 Brazil submitted its claims to UNCLOS to extend its maritime continental margin

Distribution of family income - Gini index

60.7 (1998)

Economic aid - recipient

$30 billion (2002)

Economy - overview

Possessing large and well-developed agricultural, mining, manufacturing, and service sectors, Brazil's economy outweighs that of all other South American countries and is expanding its presence in world markets. From 2001-03 real wages fell and Brazil's economy grew, on average, only 2.2% per year, as the country absorbed a series of domestic and international economic shocks. That Brazil absorbed these shocks without financial collapse is a tribute to the resiliency of the Brazilian economy and the economic program put in place by former President CARDOSO and strengthened by President LULA DA SILVA. In 2004, Brazil enjoyed more robust growth that yielded increases in employment and real wages. The three pillars of the economic program are a floating exchange rate, an inflation-targeting regime, and tight fiscal policy, all reinforced by a series of IMF programs. The currency depreciated sharply in 2001 and 2002, which contributed to a dramatic current account

adjustment

in 2003 and 2004, Brazil ran record trade surpluses and recorded its first current account surpluses since 1992. Productivity gains - particularly in agriculture - also contributed to the surge in exports, and Brazil in 2004 surpassed the previous year's record export level and again posted a current account surplus. While economic management has been good, there remain important economic vulnerabilities. The most significant are

debt-related

the government's largely domestic debt increased steadily from 1994 to 2003 - straining government finances - before falling as a percentage of GDP in 2004, while Brazil's foreign debt (a mix of private and public debt) is large in relation to Brazil's small (but growing) export base. Another challenge is maintaining economic growth over a period of time to generate employment and make the government debt burden more manageable.

Electricity - consumption

351.9 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports

7 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports

36.58 billion kWh; note - supplied by Paraguay (2002)

Electricity - production

339 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

8.3%

hydro

82.7%

nuclear

4.4%

other

4.6% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Pico da Neblina 3,014 m

lowest point

Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Environment - current issues

deforestation in Amazon Basin destroys the habitat and endangers a multitude of plant and animal species indigenous to the area; there is a lucrative illegal wildlife trade; air and water pollution in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and several other large cities; land degradation and water pollution caused by improper mining activities; wetland degradation; severe oil spills

Environment - international agreements

party to

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Ethnic groups

white 53.7%, mulatto (mixed white and black) 38.5%, black 6.2%, other (includes Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 0.9%, unspecified 0.7% (2000 census)

Exchange rates

reals per US dollar - 2.9251 (2004), 3.0771 (2003), 2.9208 (2002), 2.3577 (2001), 1.8301 (2000)

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the president

chief of state

President Luiz Inacio LULA DA SILVA (since 1 January 2003); Vice President Jose ALENCAR (since 1 January 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

election results

in runoff election 27 October 2002, Luiz Inacio LULA DA SILVA (PT) elected with 61.3% of the vote; Jose SERRA (PSDB) 38.7%

elections

president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 6 October 2002 (next to be held 1 October 2006, with a runoff on 29 October 2006 if necessary); runoff election held 27 October 2002

head of government

President Luiz Inacio LULA DA SILVA (since 1 January 2003); Vice President Jose ALENCAR (since 1 January 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

Exports

$95 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities

transport equipment, iron ore, soybeans, footwear, coffee, autos

Exports - partners

US 20.8%, Argentina 7.5%, Netherlands 6.1%, China 5.6%, Germany 4.1%, Mexico 4% (2004)

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications Brazil

Flag description

green with a large yellow diamond in the center bearing a blue celestial globe with 27 white five-pointed stars (one for each state and the Federal District) arranged in the same pattern as the night sky over Brazil; the globe has a white equatorial band with the motto ORDEM E PROGRESSO (Order and Progress) Economy Brazil

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

10.1%

industry

38.6%

services

51.3% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $8,100 (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

5.1% (2004 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$1.492 trillion (2004 est.)

Geographic coordinates

10 00 S, 55 00 W

Geography - note

largest country in South America; shares common boundaries with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador People Brazil

Government type

federative republic

Heliports

417 (2004 est.) Military Brazil

Highways

paved

94,871 km

total

1,724,929 km

unpaved

1,630,058 km (2000)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.7% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

15,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

660,000 (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 0.7% highest 10%: 48% (1998)

Illicit drugs

illicit producer of cannabis; minor coca cultivation in the Amazon region, used for domestic consumption; government has a large-scale eradication program to control cannabis; important transshipment country for Bolivian, Colombian, and Peruvian cocaine headed for Europe and the US; also used by traffickers as a way station for narcotics air transshipments between Peru and Colombia; upsurge in drug-related violence and weapons smuggling; important market for Colombian, Bolivian, and Peruvian cocaine; illicit narcotics proceeds earned in Brazil are often laundered through the financial system; significant illicit financial activity in the Tri-Border Area This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005 ======================================================================

Imports

$61 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery, electrical and transport equipment, chemical products, oil

Imports - partners

US 18.3%, Argentina 8.9%, Germany 8.1%, China 5.9%, Nigeria 5.6%, Japan 4.6% (2004)

Independence

7 September 1822 (from Portugal)

Industrial production growth rate

6% (2004 est.)

Industries

textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and equipment

Infant mortality rate

female

25.66 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

male

33.37 deaths/1,000 live births

total

29.61 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

7.6% (2004 est.)

International organization participation

AfDB, BIS, CSN, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMISET, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Internet country code

.br

Internet hosts

3,163,349 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

50 (2000)

Internet users

14.3 million (2002) Transportation Brazil

Investment (gross fixed)

19.8% of GDP (2004 est.)

Irrigated land

26,560 sq km (1998 est.)

Judicial branch

Supreme Federal Tribunal (11 ministers are appointed for life by the president and confirmed by the Senate); Higher Tribunal of Justice; Regional Federal Tribunals (judges are appointed for life); note - though appointed "for life," judges, like all federal employees, have a mandatory retirement age of 70

Labor force

89 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 20%, industry 14%, services 66% (2003 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

Argentina 1,224 km, Bolivia 3,400 km, Colombia 1,643 km, French Guiana 673 km, Guyana 1,119 km, Paraguay 1,290 km, Peru 1,560 km, Suriname 597 km, Uruguay 985 km, Venezuela 2,200 km

total

14,691 km

Land use

arable land

6.96%

other

92.15% (2001)

permanent crops

0.9%

Languages

Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French

Legal system

based on Roman codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

bicameral National Congress or Congresso Nacional consists of the Federal Senate or Senado Federal (81 seats; three members from each state and federal district elected according to the principle of majority to serve eight-year terms; one-third elected after a four-year period, two-thirds elected after the next four-year period) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara dos Deputados (513 seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve four-year terms)

election results

Federal Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PMBD 19, PFL 19, PT 14, PSDB 11, PDT 5, PSB 4, PL 3, PTB 3, PPS 1, PSD 1, PP 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PT 91, PFL 84, PMDB 74, PSDB 71, PP 49, PL 26, PTB 26, PSB 22, PDT 21, PPS 15, PCdoB 12, PRONA 6, PV 5, other 11; note - many congressmen have changed party affiliation since the most recent election

elections

Federal Senate - last held 6 October 2002 for two-thirds of the Senate (next to be held October 2006 for one-third of the Senate); Chamber of Deputies - last held 6 October 2002 (next to be held October 2006)

Life expectancy at birth

female

75.85 years (2005 est.)

male

67.74 years

total population

71.69 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

female

86.6% (2003 est.) Government Brazil

male

86.1%

total population

86.4%

Location

Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean

Manpower available for military service

males age 19-49: 45,586,036 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 19-49: 33,119,098 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually

males

1,785,930 (2005 est.)

Map references

South America

Maritime claims

contiguous zone

24 nm

continental shelf

200 nm or to edge of the continental margin

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Median age

female

28.57 years (2005 est.)

male

27.06 years

total

27.81 years

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 28, cargo 25, chemical tanker 7, combination ore/oil 2, container 7, liquefied gas 12, passenger/cargo 12, petroleum tanker 48, roll on/roll off 9

foreign-owned

17 (Chile 2, Germany 7, Norway 1, Spain 7)

registered in other countries

8 (2005)

total

150 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 2,961,431 GRT/4,725,267 DWT

Military branches

Brazilian Army, Brazilian Navy (includes Naval Air and Marines), Brazilian Air Force (FAB)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$11 billion (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.8% (2004) Transnational Issues Brazil

Military service age and obligation

19 years of age for compulsory military service, conscript service obligation - 12 months; 17 years of age for voluntary service (2001)

National holiday

Independence Day, 7 September (1822)

Nationality

adjective

Brazilian

noun

Brazilian(s)

Natural gas - consumption

9.59 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

3.64 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production

5.95 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

221.7 billion cu m (2004)

Natural hazards

recurring droughts in northeast; floods and occasional frost in south

Natural resources

bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber

Net migration rate

-0.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption

2.199 million bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA

Oil - imports

NA

Oil - production

1.788 million bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

13.9 billion bbl (2004 est.)

Pipelines

condensate/gas 244 km; gas 10,739 km; liquid petroleum gas 341 km; oil 5,212 km; refined products 4,755 km (2004)

Political parties and leaders

Brazilian Democratic Movement Party or PMDB [Federal Deputy Michel TEMER]; Brazilian Labor Party or PTB [Federal Deputy Roberto JEFFERSON]; Brazilian Social Democracy Party or PSDB [Senator Eduardo AZAREDO]; Brazilian Socialist Party or PSB [Federal Deputy Miguel ARRAES]; Communist Party of Brazil or PCdoB [Renato RABELO]; Democratic Labor Party or PDT [Carlos LUPI]; Democratic Socialist Party or PSD [Pedro Miguel SANTANA LOPES]; Green Party or PV [Jose Luiz de Franca PENNA]; Liberal Front Party or PFL [Senator Jorge BORNHAUSEN]; Liberal Party or PL [Federal Deputy Valdemar COSTA Neto]; National Order Reconstruction Party or PRONA [Federal Deputy Dr. Eneas CARNEIRO]; Popular Socialist Party or PPS [Federal Deputy Roberto FREIRE]; Progressive Party or PP [Federal Deputy Pedro CORREA]; Social Christian Party or PSC [Vitor Jorge ABDALA NOSSEIS]; Worker's Party or PT [Jose GENOINO]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Landless Worker's Movement; labor unions and federations; large farmers' associations; religious groups including evangelical christian churches and the Catholic Church

Population

186,112,794 note: Brazil took a count in August 2000, which reported a population of 169,799,170; that figure was about 3.3% lower than projections by the US Census Bureau, and is close to the implied underenumeration of 4.6% for the 1991 census; estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2005 est.)

Population below poverty line

22% (1998 est.)

Population growth rate

1.06% (2005 est.)

Ports and harbors

Gebig, Itaqui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande, San Sebasttiao, Santos, Sepetiba Terminal, Tubarao, Vitoria

Public debt

52% of GDP (2004 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1,365, FM 296, shortwave 161 (of which 91 are collocated with AM stations) (1999)

Radios

71 million (1997)

Railways

broad gauge

4,907 km 1.600-m gauge (908 km electrified)

dual gauge

396 km 1.000-m and 1.600-m gauges (three rails) (78 km electrified) (2004)

narrow gauge

23,915 km 1.000-m gauge (581 km electrified)

standard gauge

194 km 1.440-m gauge

total

29,412 km (1,567 km electrified)

Religions

Roman Catholic (nominal) 73.6%, Protestant 15.4%, Spriritualist 1.3%, Bantu/voodoo 0.3%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.2%, none 7.4% (2000 census)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$52.94 billion (2004 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female

total population

0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Suffrage

voluntary between 16 and 18 years of age and over 70; compulsory over 18 and under 70 years of age; note - military conscripts do not vote

Telephone system

domestic

extensive microwave radio relay system and a domestic satellite system with 64 earth stations

general assessment

good working system

international

country code - 55; 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region east), connected by microwave relay system to Mercosur Brazilsat B3 satellite earth station

Telephones - main lines in use

38.81 million (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular

46,373,300 (2003)

Television broadcast stations

138 (1997)

Televisions

36.5 million (1997)

Terrain

mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills, mountains, and narrow coastal belt

Total fertility rate

1.93 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate

11.5% (2004 est.)

Waterways

50,000 km (most in areas remote from industry and population) (2004)